I got a kick out of this comic, even though it was a slap at teachers. Considering the grammar and language mistakes that permeate society now, there must be lots of poorly performing educators. Just some examples that come to mind:
Signs that encourage us to "Shop Local" and "Drive Safe."
A commercial for a tire shop that "Does it right and does it complete."
A radio traffic report said that things "are running smooth."
With this service, one can get their auto loan "quick and easy."
A certain bed means you will "sleep fantastic."
At the Outback steakhouse, you can "live adventurous."
NAPA has something that will "keep your engine running strong."
A customer testimonial says that her "fireplace turned out beautiful."
A news anchor on television wondered where someone was at.
A sportscaster described a football player as "running explosive."
Many seem not to have ever heard of subject/verb agreement, especially when there is a prepositional phrase included. Few know how and when to use an apostrophe.
Communication by text message, notes on Facebook walls, and blog postings often contain lazy language. Shortcuts, fragments, crazy or missing punctuation, and misspellings are common, all in the name of speed.
I will assume that, given a different circumstance, many could write a decent, coherent thesis, but sometimes it is difficult to believe. From my perspective, it is all very sad.
13 comments:
the media is the message unfortunately and we don't talk directly to others anymore. I agree with your observations...
I agree with Lin that the message seems to be more important than grammar. My mother keeps complaining that Japanese teens don't know how to write and speak these days so I guess it's not happening only in America.
Oh yes, it annoys me too. I irritate my husband by picking up mistakes made by people on the television. My pet hate is that so few people say 'different from' now, it's more likely to be 'different to'.
I agree complete.
Great points, Jo. Those same things drive (drove) me so completely crazy I had to give up on listening to them. And, I have such a hard time texting without punctuation and with the messed up spelling. Jordyn is usually on the other end texting back "what's taking you so long?" -even before I can finish my answer to her first message.
I will probably never make it into the text messaging "hall-of-fame"...too too slow.
We care, but it seems too overwhelming to tackle any more when spellings are abbreviated so much as to be meaningless to those of us who don't 'tweet' ... Marshall McLuhan predicted this in the 1960s. Thanks for your visit to Small Reflections this morning. I've enjoyed catching up on your posts ... your garden is marvelous (wish I had room to grow veggies) and your Alaskan cruise pictures bring back memories of my own visit to Alaska in the late 1990s.
Hugs and blessings,
Dellgirl, I don't text for the same reason you do it slowly. I just can't make myself fuss with all those abbreviations and I very much dislike trying to read them.
As the union rep, I went to the new teacher day the district has right before school starts. We (the union) give them lunch and encourage them to sign up. You are seated according to school and there are signs (paper taped to yardstick taped to 2 liter bottle) on the tables. Right next to my school was a sign that read "Mapel Mt." Now I know this is the new school that just opened, but surely Maple isn't that difficult of a word to spell? I think carelessness and laziness are making this problem worse.
Oh, my, do I ever agree with you, Jo! My pet peeves in the language department include:
feel badly
different than
center around
past history
And did I mention "feel badly"??? This one elevates my blood pressure each time I hear it.
Hello! I am also a teacher, and I completely agree with you. I cannot stand bad grammar, especially when I hear it from an educator. We interviewed several people this summer to fill positions at our school, and one had terrible grammar. I refused to let our principal hire her... not a good influence. (Obviously, a sensitive subject for me)Ha! Nice to meet you. I'm Janie.
P.S. I forgot to mention "Myself and Billy Bob went to the store," or "She gave one to John and I." Grrrr.
You I have hit a nerve with this one. The language, as we knew it...that would be using grammar in the way in which it was meant to be ...is gone!
I could certainly do a lengthy post on the infractions that drive me over the edge.
I'm with you on this one!
Stopping in to say hi and to wish you a good weekend.
I'm almost afraid to say anything, hoping I am gramatically correct with all that follows!! I do agree with you and also truly hate when simple words are misspelled. I may not be able to recite the rules to you, but I can usually tell if something sounds the way it should.
This was a good post!!
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